Cranial Osteopathy

Cranial osteopathy, or cranial sacral osteopathy, is a subtle and refined osteopathic approach to diagnosis and treatment that follows all the principles of osteopathy. It is applied throughout the body, and not just on the head.

Osteopaths use their sense of touch to feel and detect subtle changes of stress, tension and tissue quality in the whole body, and to diagnose specific areas and causes of strain or dysfunction. This often involves areas in the body that have been involved in past events, such as accidents and injuries; these past events may have caused compensations in the body, which may be relevant to current symptoms.

Recognizing the intimate link between diagnosis and treatment, an osteopath works to activate the body’s innate capability to heal itself naturally. The osteopath offers gentle and focused support where it is needed, bringing a state of balance and release to the affected tissues, and restoring them to optimum health.

Benefits of Cranial Osteopathy

It is a unique approach to osteopathy. Instead of being considered as a type of technique, it is more of a way or method of viewing the body and its inner workings. Though the treatment is widely known and used for babies, it is equally effective and beneficial for all patients, including children, adults and the elderly.

Osteopaths treat people and not clinical conditions. During a consultation, the osteopath will first assess the symptoms a patient is persistently experiencing, including aches and pains, stresses or emotional issues. Cranial sacral osteopathy treatment involves the osteopath exploring and treating areas of dysfunction in both the person’s physical and physiological well-being, as these may be linked to their symptoms.

As the treatment involves the whole body, improvements are often noted in many different areas. For example, digestive problems are usually relieved when the spine or pelvis is being treated due to back pain.

There is some clinical evidence that cranial osteopathy can provide relief from chronic injuries and disorders, including migraine and tension-type headaches, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, and neck and back pain.